Rails



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JAMES AYRES, OF BRA'NCHVILLlL-NEW JERSEY.

Letters Patent No. 85,265, dated December 29, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICE FOR SHARPENING RAILS The 'Schedule referred to in thesel Ltters'Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom. it may conce/rn Be it known that I, J'Anns Armas, of Branchviile, in the county of Sussex, and State of N ew Jersey, have invented a new useful Imprm'erncnt in Sharpening Rails for Post-Fences; and I do hereby declare the fol-A lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, suiiicient to enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains,to` fully understand the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a top view of my machine;

Figure 2, aside elevation; and

Figure 3, an end elevation ofthe same.-

Rails for post-fences are usually sharpened at the ends by chopping with a hatchet or axr. This is. a .troublesome and slowoperation, and one which requires great care to sharpen both ends and sides equally, se as `to bring the extremities in the centre of the rail, and lin a straight line with eachother. Unless the rails are equally sharpened at both ends, a neat and substantial fence cannot bc produced.

rlhe object of my present' invention is to provide means whereby the rails 'z e equally and expeditiously sharpened; and

The invention consists in adj nstably iitting a swivelled clamp in a transverse' rock-bar, which has its bearings in a slotted sliding bed, all constructed and arranged substantially as hereinafter described.

ln order to enable'others to understand my invention, so' as to make and use the same, l will now proceed to describe it in detail, referring to the drawing, whereon similar letters, in the several figures, indicate like parts.

A A, in the rhawings, indicate the side pieces of the framing ofl my maclxine, and B B, the cross-pieces of the same, all supported on legs C.

l) represents a transverse shaft, jonrnalled in bearings in the side-pieces A A.

Un this shaft a circular saw, E, is keyed. The saw may be driven by steam or animal-power, or otherwise, as may be desired. f

F is the bed ofthe machine, lit-ted to slide on ways a a, formed in the side-pieces A A. rlhe sayy E projects above the surface of the'platform, which is slotted longitudinally at b for its passage.

c c are side extensions at oneend of the bed F.

d In these extensions are formed bearin gs for the journals of a transverse rock-bar, G, which is provided with a longitudinal slot, d.

H represents a block, formed with a shank. e, which extends through theslot d.

The lower end of this shank is formed with a screw` threadon which the thumb-nut jf is fitted.

The block H is out out into a U-shape, torining long and short sides, g h, respectively.

The side gis divided vertically, vfoi-min g arms fili, iig. 2.

j is a curved tongue of metal, hinged at its lower end within the block H, and roughened on its inner face, so as to bite the rail l, which is clamped between the tongne j andthe side g of block H, by means of the set-screw Il', working through the side 7b of block H, and pressing against the tongue.

The operation is as follows, viz:

The cairiage or .bed F having been drawn back, theI rail is centrally clan'iped between the side r/ and tongue j, or in any other suitablel manner.

black lines, iig. l, and the nut f screwed up against the under side of bar G.'

The carriage F is next run ibrward, so that the rail at high speed, cuts off, from one side of the lail, an angular' block, as shown in iig. l.

The carriage is now run back, the nut j" loosened slightly, and the block H moved tothe position shown in red, iig. l, where it is clamped as before. The other side of the rail is now sharpened, as above described, and as represented in red.

The carriage is again run hack, the `rail swung round, as indicated bythered arrow, iig. l, and its end 2 sharpenedas before; 'or,'ii` deemed preferable,'the rail, after having been cut on one end at one side, lnay be swung around, as indicated by the red arrow, and one side of the opposite end cut oif. The block H is now moved to the position shown in red, and by reversing the rail once, the sharpening is completed.

` It niay be found better to move the carriage forward, so that the end of the rail shall pass the saw, then drawf on the side of the rail, and cuts through to the end.

The advantages ot' my invention will be obvious to all who have occasion to employ this class of machinery. lts prominent recommelnlations are, extreme simplicity, cheapness, and effective, satisfactory operation. I do not claim broadly a device for sharpening rails, in which the Iail is fixed in an adjustable swivelled clamp, so arranged that the rail may be sharpened at both extremities by a power-saw, without removing the -ail from the clamp, as l ain aware that this is not new; but

machine, is-

-The swivelled holding and clamping-block H, and the rock-shaft G, arranged and operating as described.

AMES AYRES Witnesse: y

LUTHER C. BowLBY, ROBERT L. GARRIsoN.

The block- H is now moved tofone side, as shown inA comes in contact with the saw. E, which, being driven ing back the carriage, so that the saw commences its cuty That I claim as new, and of my invention, in this 

